Smithers, B.C. – Dispatchers with the North District Communications Center are being credited for the safe rescue of a young woman who was being held against her will .

 

On Monday, the 9-1-1 dispatcher received a call from a friend of a female who said she was being  held against her will in a transport truck.

 

The 26 year old victim was texting messages to her friend who made the call to police. The victim said her boyfriend had become violent and had prevented her from going to work for the past week. He had been threatening to harm her and was not letting her go.

The victim texted they had left Williams Lake and were travelling to Kitimat. The Suspect told the victim if he saw the police or if she called the police he would kill her. The suspect  was not aware the victim was texting her friend.

 

Dispatchers contacted the Victim’s cell phone service provider and obtained GPS coordinates. The phone was pinged to an area south-west of Burns Lake. RCMP were familiar with the suspect as they had previous dealings with him.  Officers were able to identify the transport truck he was driving through his employer. The information was internally broadcasted to the surrounding Detachment areas. An hour and a half after the initial report came in, the suspect vehicle was located by members in Smithers who were patrolling the Highway looking for the truck. The Suspect was taken into police custody without incident and the victim was found in the truck and taken to safety.

RCMP Media Liaison Constable Lesley Smith says it was the dispatchers who made all the difference in this case “It was due to their focused heightened response, their knowledge of contacts and use of resources, as well as the skilled coordination and prioritization of the file, that enabled members to locate the suspect so quickly and rescue this woman.”